Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

Professor by day, archaeological adventurer by night, Indiana Jones, played by the one and only Harrison Ford, is never one to back down from a rare find.

I have indeed watched all the Indiana Jones movies before but it may not have been since the latest instalment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, twelve years ago. As it had been so long, and most of what occurred across the franchise I’d forgotten, I decided it was time to revisit the series.

As always, from least favourite to most….

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1/5)
This movie is bad. We all see that right?… RIGHT?! Coming off the back of watching Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom just went left. It had a different tone, an ensemble of side kicks that made little sense (as much as I loved Short Round) and honestly that dinner scene at Pankot Palace just felt offensive.

This alleged prequel was a waste of time and budget.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (2/5)
A great intro to Indiana Jones, professor, archaeologist, traveller, and renegade. Really enjoyed that opening scene we so often see trouped. As nostalgic as the movie was, its contents were mostly lacklustre. I felt like I should be enjoying it more than I actually enjoyed it and couldn’t believe it was only a two hour movie… it felt longer.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2/5)
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull confirmed for me that my wavering interest in each movie had nothing to do with when the films were made or when they were set. Ford had aged twenty years, enter trending star Shia LeBeouf as a potential replacement for the brown fedora and yet, despite the set up… meh.

Much of the same unnecessarily long chase scenes and European villainy but you know what sold it for me? – That ending.

It was insanely trippy, it crossed the lines of both unbelievable, random and weird all at once. And yet. I really enjoyed it.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (2.5/5)
Hands down the best of the lot. Having his dad (played by Sean Connery) around added the depth to Indiana Jones’ stories that I hadn’t realised was missing. That personal element grounded the movie and injected some organic humour to the movie. Not to mention that the structure final felt streamlined where the others were more chaotic and coincidental. Jones felt like a detective/archaeologist I always imagined him to be; finding and solving, pulling one over on the bad guys and really utilizing his knowledge and whip.

It was a good time all round.

Suffice to say from the above ratings that I did not enjoy this series at all, or I suppose it’s more fair to say that the movies took me by surprise. I hadn’t realised the movie ratings went as low as PG which meant everything was peppered with that layer of having to appeal to a younger audience. It was definitely more juvenile than I recalled with every villain seeming to portray a caricature of an actual antagonist.

I hear that the fifth Indiana Jones movie may have swam its way out of development hell for a 2022 release… I’m not saying that I won’t watch it, but I am saying I don’t expect to enjoy it.

INDIANA JONES ‘TRILOGY’ – 4/10